Test Drive "Must Do's"???

I am going to test drive a K5 Saturday morning and I would like to ask you all for the "Must Do's" during my inspection and test drive. (I have never owned a 4WD vehicle and need some help with what to look and listen for) Taking my brother inlaw with me, hopefully he will be some help, he's owned a K5 or two in the past.

It is a 1990 K5 Silverado, all stock I believe.

Thanks in Advance. Hopefully after this weekend I can change my signiture.

I would have to say test EVERYTHING! : ) I'm talking windshield wipers, cruise control, rear window, 4wd, radiator condition, etc. It won't be stuff that can't be fixed, but will save you for paying for stuff twice when you get the price down! I didn't think to check windshield wipers on last GM car I bought, driving home after purchase, started to rain, surprise, no wipers! Also I would have to say that the truck should be COLD when you first go to start it. Many things can happen (bad idle when cold, hard to crank) when the vehicle is cold but not when its hot. Also make sure you DO get it hot, drive it on the freeway, and park it somewhere you can check for oil leaks and such. While under the truck, check frame rails, etc. for evidence of damage and rust. Make sure the body and bumpers line up, that can help indicate a bent frame. Check pillars of the topper for seperation, I see that increasingly. 1990 should have many problems corrected (like a 1 piece rear main seal) but it never hurts to do a thorough check.

Before you drive it, spend some time under the truck. Look in every nook and cranny for any signs of rust, or collision damage. Also look for leaks when your down there, if its 'wet' its leaking.
Walk around the truck, check all body lines, door fitment, tailgate fitment. If any of these don't look like they line up real good it may have been in an accident. Check to make sure all the windows work smoothly, doors open and close nicely. Tailgate too.
Pop the hood, check the oil, it should be right up and not too dirty. Check the visual condition of hoses and belts, all this will give you an idea of whether or not the truck has been maintained. Start it up, does it puff a little blue smoke on start-up? If it does its not serious, just embarassing, and a good bargaining chip. Let it warm up, now check the transmission oil, it should be a pinky red. If it is brownish and smells burnt it may need tranny work. Get in and put it in Drive, should engage almost immediately with no clunk, shift to reverse, again it should go to reverse with almost no delay. Any clunks could indicate U-joints being worn.
Test drive; try and sample it in city driving and freeway driving. Try braking hard from about 30 MPH to 0, it should stop straight with no vibration through the brake pedal. If it has rear ABS a little pulse in the pedal is normal.
Find a dirt or gravel raod and check the transfer case operation. Shift to 4HI and stomp on it, you should have a hard time breaking the tires loose if its engaged. Come to a stop and shift to 4 LOW. It should shift somewhat easily into 4 LOW, drive a bit in 4 LOW. You should be able to 'feel' through the steering that it is in 4WD.
I'm sure there is more, but thats all I can think of right now. Hope that helps.

Like he said, test everything. If its for sale, there's a reason. Also check for broken leaves, the steerign parts, and make sure the tranny shifts well. Check all the fluids, look for rust, and listen for sounds while driving. Good luck

On the magnet thing, make sure you use your standard run of the mill refrigerator magnet. Those real strong ones will pick up the metal behind the bondo. (if there is any)
Or one of those football team magnets work good. I used my Titans one on mine when I was looking it over, and this dude looked at me like I was crazy UNTIL, It fell off. It wouldn't stick. Then I opened the doors, the door jams had been painted, but not very good and I could see that these doors were from another vehicle.
Be leary of the no leaks thing. If it doesn't leak it may be because it has no fluid in it. Like my power steering pump. It wasn't leaking cause it had no fluid in it.

If It has overdrive, MAKE sure you check that tranny out good. You dont want to be stuck with a new $5000 truck that you are now going to have to sink another 1200-1500 into.

Also make sure the oil doesn't feel "sticky". That means that someone has put some quick fixit crap in the oil. No dice.

Look for markings under the hood that suggest it may have been in an accident. Usually the service shops will use white painted letters or numbers on the firewall or other places to note that. Also, if it has a new paint job, be suspicious of why...most people don't paint a truck just to sell it unless it is hiding something. A dead give away is also a painted over door jam where the original stickers for GVWR and tire pressures would be. Good luck!

Oh, and all Blazers will eventually leak, so don't let that make you not do the deal, just use it as a bargaining chip!

Yeah, I agree. They all leak eventually. I llok at it this way, if it anit leaking then its outt afluid. LOL!!! Least that the way we knew the airplanes needed to be serviced in the NAvy. LOL!!!!! Well, we used that in a way. None of my jets ever crashed.

The thing that would concern me most is if it has had a very recent tune up and oil change. If the oil is brand new in the motor then he is probably trying to hide something. Another big problem is the gov-loc rear end. If you can jack up the rear wheels, spin one with your hands as fast as you can, after 3 revolutions you should hear a clunk and the opposite tire should start turning the same direction as the one you are turning. If it does not you could have rear end troubles. Also to put it in 4lo you will most likely have to put the tranny in neutral, this is normal. You should pay close attention to the frame around the steering box as well. Make sure there are no cracks and that the box is on tight. Turn the switch to the on position, but do not crank it. Does the check engine light come on? if not the bulb may have been taken out so that it will not stay on all of the time. Good luck and happy hunting

When you drive it away the person in the passenger seat may make it or break it for you. If its the owner who is trying to sell it he may turn on the radio to cover something up. Check them Ujoints...D..R..D.. CLUNK CLUNK CLUNK? or smooth. If you can drive it by yourself or your brother...and when you get away do all your leak cheaks...I had one guy get underneath before I got there and wipe the thing down and wiped up the ground too so there were no leaks to see. Check the tire wear. If its uneven something might be wrong with the suspension. Are all 4 tires the same? If you have one of them mini mag lites they come in handy when searching corners for goo. Look on this wonderful website and read all you can about that year...make sure everything IS stock. Also...test drive it twice. Don't just buy on the first bang unless you are 100% sure ts good. Post questions here...they will be answered. If there is ANY hint of something that doesn't look right..leave it..and call the guy later in the day or week and test drive again..play with the numbers...you can probably get em to lower it. Try to get to drive it in the nice sunshine...and in rough weather too...see about that doughnut ratio. Check the spare for wear or not one there...if there is any pressure and you don't feel comfortable...just walk away..you can always come back to it later and if it is gone when you want to come back...it probably wasn't yours to begin with.

When you drive it, leave the radio off and listen to what the truck is telling you. 9 times out of 10, it'll tell you something isn't right. Just look at all the posts here about odd noises...

Test everything (a/c, lights [check the bulbs all around!], wipers, heat, etc.). I didn't test the a/c on mine when I bought it, and it doesn't work. Coulda used that as a bargaining chip...

If possible, find a clear stretch of road. Accelerate to about 60mph, then brake HARD, almost to the point of lockup. Should stay straight without wrestling the steering wheel. U-turn and repeat this 2-3 more times and pay attention to the pedal effort needed to produce that "panic" stop. If the pedal effort gets excessive, or if the pedal sinks closer to the floor each time, it could be a sign of brake trouble (air in lines, leaks).

Check belts and hoses. Make sure that each pulley has a belt on it; if not, be suspicious and ask questions.

I wanted to let you all know that the test drive yesterday was a success.

I will be picking up my Blazer Tuesday or Wenesday this next week. Talked the owner down to $4500 from $4900 asking price. Going to need some attention to surface rust at the tailgate and the rockers will need to be replaced, but all else is in great shape. Mechanicals couldn't be better for a 10 year old truck with 125,000 that is almost all original.

I will post a picture as soon as I get the truck.

I am so totally excited that I can now take the pleasure in driving a real vehicle.

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